Electrical relays are commonly employed for controllably establishing electrical connections between sources of electrical power and electrical devices. A typical electrical relay may include a power input, a power output, and a control input. Electrical current may be applied to, or removed from, the control input to selectively establish an electrical connection between the power input and the power output.
The power input and power output of a typical electrical relay are commonly embodied by electrically conductive posts or “studs” that may be connected to a source of electrical power and to an electrical device, respectively. The control input may be a simple screw terminal or the like. When an appropriate actuation current is applied to the control input, an electrically conductive contactor may be moved (e.g., via electromagnetic force) into contact with butt ends of the power input and power output that are disposed within a housing. An electrical pathway is thereby established between the source of electrical power and the electrical device.
The conductive studs that are employed for the power inputs and power outputs of electrical relays are commonly formed of silver-treated copper and are provided with silver contact pads embedded in the butt ends thereof for providing a robust electrical connection with the contactor. Conventionally, the silver pads are fastened to the butt ends of the studs via processes that involve either soldering or screwing and pressing. Such processes include numerous manufacturing steps that can be time-consuming, costly, and that can result in damage to the studs.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the present improvements may be useful.